Know where there’s no supply chain issues? The Mile High Flea Market in Henderson off of I-76 and East 88th Avenue, which has been open year-round since 1976.

Gene and Julie Clark of Northglenn were looking for holiday decorations for their house Saturday. Gene Clark prides himself on putting up a traffic-stopping collection of lights and ornaments every year.

“We got a fiber-optic snowman from here once for $5. I saw it at the store for $90,” he said.

They also shop for tools and antiques. “We come down about two or three times a year,” Julie Clark said. “I really like the burritos they sell.”

They have a shopping routine. First they hit the “people side,” where weekend sellers move anything you can think of. It’s like a collection of garage sales. Then they move to the permanent buildings

where vendors often lease yearly and are there every weekend, often selling new merchandise, or wholesale/openbox items they’re able to source inexpensively.

“This is our business. We do this for a living,” said Dominic Navarro of Denver Liquidators. “The customers all know me.”

Navarro said he’s been coming for years, and never knows what’s going to be for sale. On Saturday, it was cooling neck gaiters. Vendors like Navarro can find “pallet sales” from places like Amazon, which sells returns instead of restocking.

“You never know what you’re going to get in that pallet,” Navarro said.

Some vendors have been coming for 30 years, said General Manager Vikram “Vik” Navin.

He patrols the 80-acre grounds in a golf cart as he greets vendors and shoppers.

On busy days (March through September), there can be up to 2,000 sellers and about 30,000 buyers over the weekend. The market also has children’s amusement park-style rides. Navin was able to pick up the Ferris wheel from the now-shuttered Heritage Square in Golden, which closed in 2018.

There’s also a farmer’s market every week. On Saturday, several vendors fired up green chili roasters, creating a sweet aroma reminiscent of a state fair.

“You can find so much out here: tools, tires, golf clubs, home appliances, snowboards,” Navin said. “Some of the gift getters are going for the albums, antiques and a lot of video games.”

A survey from Mercari/GlobalData on the 2021 holiday season and secondhand shopping shows that consumers are expected to spend $69.2 billion on previously owned items from October to December, up 24% from 2020. Eighty-four percent of those polled planned to buy Christmas-related resale gifts, according to the survey.

“That has a lot to do with the supply chain shortages, and some empty shelves at big-box stores,” said Jessica Jeffers, director of marketing for United Flea Markets, which owns Mile High and another market in Colorado Springs. “The weather has been unseasonably warm, so people have really been coming out.”

Many shoppers are environmentally conscious, and secondhand items don’t add to the carbon footprint, she said.

“Young people really like to find things that have meaning, and of course to save money,” Jeffers said. “Many of it is one-of-a-kind that you won’t find anywhere else.”

Which is exactly what Adrian Velencia, 60, of Denver did Saturday — save money. He bought a gas-powered trimmer for $20. The seller was asking $40.

“I like the wheeling and dealing,” he said.

The Derby family — mom Kerry, daughter Marina and son/grandson Elijah, 2 — were shopping for toys and gifts Saturday.

“Yea, Christmas shopping and things to help me organize like tubs or bookshelves,” Marina Derby said. “We’ve been coming a lot these last couple of weeks. The weather is so beautiful.”

They have found good deals at the flea market: A rocking chair with the stool for $5 that’s normally $50; a movable horse Elijah can ride for $20; a real wood and rail sled for $15 — in case the snow ever shows up.

“It’s all really good stuff,” she said. Call it a “flea for all,” Jeffers joked. “It’s nice for small businesses. They can get out in front of a lot of customers for a really low price,” Jeffers said. “It’s really a place for everyone.”